Miracles In December
by OrangeRangerAlex96
Summary: Natasha Higgins loves Christmas. In the wake of the Sokovia Accords, she is determined to make this the best season ever. But when a popular K-pop group is revealed to be made entirely of powered people, Nat gets an incredible opportunity dropped in her lap. Will the season be jolly? Or will her heart be torn in two?
1. Christmas Powers

**Welcome to my Christmas Special, everyone! This story takes place in a universe where multiple fandoms live together. Portals allow access to other universes where Star Wars, Star Trek and other fandoms can be found. Through the efforts of Natasha Higgins, the groups work together by trading technology, magic, and knowledge in a giant cooperation. I will do my best to mention as many of the groups as I can, so you get a good idea of the scale we are dealing with**

 **Also, the main part of the story is based on the Mama music video by the K-pop group Exo. I highly recommend you check them out, they are phenomenal!**

 **Enjoy!**

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Chapter One

Christmas Powers

Natasha Higgins loved Christmas. It was no secret that one of her favorite things about the season was introducing it to people who weren't used to it/had never heard of it before. As the coordinator for an Inter-Universal Cooperation, she was in a unique position to spread her favorite holiday to more people than could be imagined.

2016 was the third year that the Federation had been celebrating it, and the fifth year that the citizens of the Star Wars Universe had been celebrating it in their own way. SHIELD had their own little traditions and, of course, there was the giant party that Tony Stark threw every year for everyone in the cooperation to attend if they wished. They'd begun using a specially set-up area that the residents of Camp Half-Blood had helped them construct two years ago. Apparently, monsters were attracted to the particular type of energy that clung to travelers from other Universes.

This was also the first year that the magical community was to be included after a year of difficult negotiations in the wake of the Sokovia Accords being signed. Nat had been working very hard to bring the wizarding communities into the Cooperation and was ready for a wonderful celebration this Christmas season.

Unfortunately, the Accords had created several problems for her, both personally and professionally. Nat didn't completely approve of the concept of powered people needing to be registered. As the Watchdogs had proven in recent weeks, it was far too easy for someone to get ahold of the list and use it to attack powered people. This meant that her relationship with the newly re-revealed SHIELD was a bit strained. Since SHIELD was the main umbrella for the Cooperation in her Universe, Nat had to put her personal feelings aside and focus on making sure that the Accords didn't try and leak into other Universes.

Never-the-less, Nat's relationship with Agent Phil Coulson was still quite friendly. As such, she didn't ignore his call when it came in a week before Christmas. "Phil! What can I do for you?"

"You could look at the screen and make sure you didn't put tinsel over it again."

Nat turned from her position by her Christmas tree to look at the panel that had opened in the wall opposite. Sure enough, a string of tinsel was draped directly over the camera that would allow the Agent to clearly see her. "Oops! Give me a sec!" With little hesitation, she tore a piece of tape from the roll on the table and used it to pin the shiny garland back from the camera. "Better?"

"Much," Phil replied with a smile. "How are you still decorating? Aren't you usually completely done by now?"

"Yeah, but I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to finish everything as quickly as I usually do," Nat reminded him. "Not to mention, Tony has been calling me every day to finalize plans for the party. And I had to meet with Chiron, because the borders that protect the party area were reacting negatively to the Wizard brand of magic and he needed my help to get someone to come over and help calibrate them to let in Wizards and Witches, but not monsters. It's been a crazy year!"

"I can second that," Phil agreed. "Unfortunately, I'm going to need to interrupt you again. We need your help."

"What's up?"

"Are you familiar with the K-pop group Exo?"

Nat froze, her inner fangirl fighting to get out. "Yes," she replied carefully. "Why?"

"Some recent intel indicates that they all have powers. I know you've recently learned Korean and you've been mentioning a few trips with the Doctor to Korea lately. Thought you might come with us to assess the situation and facilitate smooth communications."

"They had powers in their Mama video, sure. But that's just effects, Coulson. They don't actually have powers."

"Our intel says otherwise. They've been keeping an extremely low profile, but there are plenty of indicators if you know what to look for. You know us better than that, Nat. Besides, they've already agreed to the meeting. Why would they do that if they didn't have powers?"

Nat nodded. "It's a good idea. I'd love to be there. When?"

"Meeting's in about ten minutes. Meet you on the Prometheus?"

"Sounds good, I'll be ready in five. Tell Caldwell to be waiting for my signal." Nat ended the transmission and began squealing. Exo was her favorite K-pop group. They were the ones who had gotten her interested in Korean culture in the first place. She'd begged the Doctor to take her on trips to antient Korea after being introduced to Exo and falling in love with their music.

The two of them ended up saving a king from being killed by aliens. The king offered to let Nat marry one of his sons as a reward, but she simply accepted an official name. He made her a princess and named her Shin Sung Ah. The Doctor warned her that she would need to be careful when using that name. With a title and a name, she would likely have been entered in official records. Anyone who payed attention to Korean history would recognize the name.

So, she did everything she could to be worthy of her new title and name. She learned the language, studied the culture and history. She hoped that she'd be able to put her knowledge to good use some day. It seemed that the day had finally arrived.

Nat rushed around her apartment, grabbing what she needed. She was going to have to try extremely hard to keep her inner fangirl in check during this meeting. But she had to do this. It was important that she get this right. The Sokovia Accords were complicated, and things were difficult enough these days without adding twelve powered people who had enjoyed relative safety for five years. Exo was established, and they'd stayed off the radar for so long, it would be terribly difficult to convince them to realize they needed to register.

Once she was ready, Nat tapped on her communicator watch. "Prometheus, ready to transport." With a flash of light, Nat disappeared from her apartment and reappeared on the Earth ship Prometheus. Phil was waiting for her on the bridge with Mack, Mae and Joey.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to bring Mack?" Nat asked.

"Well, hello to you too," Mack said, sounding offended.

"No offence, Mack. But you're kinda intimidating. _I_ know you're a softie, but they don't know that. The tallest one there is Chanyeol, and he's so much thinner than you that you could probably break him like a twig. I'm not sure you going is a good idea."

"I'm surprised you wouldn't object to Mae as well," Phil replied calmly.

"Mae makes sense! My Mandarin is still not perfect and there are four Chinese members. She may need to talk to them to clarify things. I'm concerned Mack will be seen as an attempt to intimidate them into registering."

"Nat," Phil said gently. "I know you don't like the Accords. You have made it abundantly clear that you disagree with the idea of powered people needing to register. But there isn't anything you can do to change it now. It's the law that enhanced individuals must be registered. Now, how about we get this over with so you can get back to your decorating?"

Nat sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Let's do this."

"Aren't you going to change?" Mae asked.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Nat was dressed in a white dress shirt under a pale blue suit jacket dusted with sparkling snowflake patterns and matching pants. Her blue bow tie was decorated in the center with an ornate snowflake pin, and she wore sleek, white boots with low heels. Her short hair, which she usually spray-dyed in bright colors, was swooped back in its natural, brown state with a touch of white glitter at the tips. "It's perfectly professional-looking!"

"It's not very SHIELD though."

"Good thing I'm not SHIELD then. Shall we go?"

Nat knew the instant she walked into the room that coming had, perhaps, been a bad idea after all. She'd expected attention from Kim Minseok because of her outfit. Xiumin had frost powers, so seeing someone dressed in something that appealed to his powers was sure to catch his attention. However, what she hadn't expected was Huang Zitao's reaction the instant she walked through the door.

All twelve members of Exo were sitting at a long table with their manager. Nat was the last one through the door as Phil introduced them. As she came out from behind Mack, Tao, who had been leaning over to talk to Kai, glanced at the doorway and nearly leaped to his feet. Only Kai and D.O.'s grip on his arms kept him in his seat, but his eyes were still fixed on Nat.

Phil made his pitch, explaining about the new regulations because of the Accords. Nat did her best to scan everyone, watching their reactions and gauging their thoughts. She noticed that Tao's eyes didn't leave her the whole time. Even Phil finally noticed.

"Is there something wrong Mr. Huang?" he asked. Mae repeated the question in Mandarin when Tao didn't react.

"What is she?" he asked, pointing at Nat.

"Sorry?" Phil replied, confused.

"Time clings to you like a spider's thread," Tao said, shifting the direction of his words to Nat. "Why is this so? What powers do you have that time clings to you like this?"

"I don't have powers, Tao," she replied quietly. "Have you heard of the Doctor?"

"Anyone who has an interest in Time knows of the Doctor."

"I am friends with him. He takes me on trips occasionally. Through Time and Space."

"I'm sorry," Phil interjected. "I'm a little confused."

"Tao's powers are Time related," Nat explained. "Didn't you watch their video?"

Phil glanced at Mae. "I didn't have time. It's important that you understand…"

Tao turned to Kris, seated a few people down from him, and began speaking rapidly in Mandarin. Nat's Mandarin was still in development, and he was speaking so quickly that she couldn't catch what he said.

Kris nodded, then spoke in English. "We would like to speak with Natasha in private."

"I don't know if…"

"Phil," Nat interrupted. "It's fine. I'd like to talk to them." Mack grumbled in concern and Nat smiled at him. "I'll be fine, Mack."

Phil, Mae, Mack and Joey reluctantly left the room. After a short conversation, Exo's manager left as well. Nat was now alone with a group of extremely attractive males. All of whom had powers that could probably kill her. Except for Yixing, of course. Lay's powers were all about healing.

Nat shifted a little nervously. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked in Korean.

"We can tell you don't approve of the Accords," Suho said, not wasting any time. "And yet, here you are. It is also strange that you know of the Doctor. Zitao has never met him, and his powers are in the Doctor's realm of expertise. Why are you here? What is your reason?"

"I am the coordinator for an Inter-Universal Cooperation. Much as you all have done, there are many groups who have kept their identities secret. But Sokovia changed things. Groups that were previously able to remain secret, are now being forced to reveal themselves. The governments can't cover things up any more like they used to. But, we have been coordinating treaties and agreements among all the different groups for several years now. That's one of the reasons things have been able to remain as calm as they have."

"So, you're the one who has been protecting the portals in America," Jongin said suddenly. The teleporter was staring at her intently.

"Yes, we monitor the portals in America, England, Egypt, Italy and Greece." There was a sudden explosion of talk from all around the table. Nat smiled. "I suspected you were from another universe. How close was your music video to the truth?"

Yixing stood and approached as everyone else discussed what to do. "It is quite accurate. We were sent away from our universe after the two worlds reunited. No one trusted us. They blamed our powers for the problems that appeared after the reunion. So, we left. Jongin used his powers to create a temporary portal which we used to get here. We sealed it behind us. There is no return for us."

Nat nodded. "I wish we could help with that. Portals are fickle, even with the things we have access to. But I can say that we can offer more freedom to use your powers. You can work with others who have powers, you'd probably even get to travel to the other universes in the cooperation."

"Do we have to register to have access?"

Nat sighed. "No, you don't. But registering is the law now. If you refuse to register, your access to the cooperation would be strained and difficult. The other option you have is to relocate to another universe. But, I doubt anyone would like that. You have so many fans here. It would be such a shame for you to leave now."

"We aren't going anywhere." Suho's voice reminded Nat that there were others in the room. "Jongin, bring Agent Coulson and his associates back in. We will register, but there will be one condition."

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 **Please review!**


	2. Bonding

**Greetings! I hope you all are having a good Christmastime and will enjoy this next chapter! Lots of explanations and universe establishment here. Hopefully things will get more interesting in the next chapter.**

 **You might have noticed that I changed the secondary category. I realized that Agents of SHIELD was more appropriate than Doctor Who since that is the group that gets interacted with more. However, you will still be seeing the Doctor in the next chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Chapter Two

Bonding

Nat should have expected this. With the way Tao reacted to her, and everyone else's apparent interest in the fact, she shouldn't've been so surprised that they'd insisted on this. But she was. Suho's condition for the group registering was that they deal exclusively with her. She would be the one to supervise them while they were in America for the registry process. She couldn't say she was exactly disappointed. They seemed to trust her, and, within a week, Baekhyun was already treating her like a little sister. He was adorable, and Nat found herself easily slipping into the habit of calling him Oppa.

The next week was hectic. Arrangements had to be made for Exo to stay in America safely without alerting fans. Chiron was extremely helpful, allowing the members to stay at Camp Half-Blood. It was good for them too. Chanyeol bonded quickly with Leo, the Son of Hephaestus taking his fellow fire-user to meet Festus the bronze dragon as well as the rest of Hephaestus cabin.

Suho and his water powers were quickly snapped up by Percy. The Son of Poseidon was eager to test Suho's abilities and see who was stronger. Annabeth and the Athena cabin were fascinated by Zitao and Jongin's powers. They insisted that the two boys stay with them so they could study their abilities, but Connor and Travis of the Hermes cabin quickly stole Jongin. They didn't want to lose the opportunity that having a teleporter in camp would give them for pranks.

Baekhyun and Yixing were taken in by the Apollo cabin. With Apollo, himself still trapped there in the human body of Lester Papadopoulos, it wasn't exactly the easiest environment, but the human god still managed to welcome the two of them. Baekhyun soon had him captivated by his light powers, and Yixing found himself being welcomed into the infirmary where his healing powers were greatly appreciated.

Jongdae and Yi Fan found themselves scooped up by Jason who was visiting from New Rome. With Jongdae's lightning powers and Yi Fan's ability to fly, the three boys hit it off quickly. Luhan, Minseok, Kyungsoo, and Sehun all joined Jongin in the Hermes cabin.

Nat was thrilled that the group was fitting in so well. One of the most important things about the Cooperation was the relationships that everyone built with everyone else. It was an organization built on mutual trust and friendship, and she was very glad that the newest members were starting off on the right foot.

Phil called her at the end of the week to let her know that things were ready to begin the process of getting them all registered. Since it was going to take some time to do all of them, Nat suggested that they split it up into two groups. Exo-M could go together, and then Exo-K could go. Or vice versa. Phil agreed, and suggested that she get one of the groups to come that day so they could get things started.

Nat found Suho and Percy at the docks by the pond where Suho was demonstrating his powers. "Dude, that is so awesome!" Percy cried enthusiastically as Suho pulled a ball of water out of the air. Nat's footsteps alerted Percy to her approach and he turned to smile at her. "Isn't he great?"

"It's certainly impressive," Nat agreed, smiling as Suho let the water fall into the pond. "I hate to interrupt, but I just got a call from Phil. They're ready to start. They want to do it in a couple groups since there are so many of you. There are only so many Agents who are qualified to evaluate powered people. I suggested we split things up into Exo-M and Exo-K. Is there a preference for who goes first?"

"Exo-K can go first," Suho replied after only a moment's thought. "Zitao has been expressing concern about his powers. Best to give him a little time to get a grip on them."

"I think I have just the way to help with that," Nat said with a smile. "How about you get Jongin, Kyungsoo and Sehun. I'll find Baekhyun and Chanyeol and meet you at the border?"

Suho nodded and said good bye to Percy. Baekhyun was easy to find. He'd barely left the Apollo cabin since he arrived. Nat greeted Apollo and, after a promise to come practice her archery with him later, managed to drag Baekhyun away to find Chanyeol.

"I'm glad you're making friends," Nat said as they headed toward the Hephaestus cabin.

"Apollo is great," Baekhyun replied with a grin nearly as bright as his powers. "He seems to enjoy my stories."

"Well, he is the god of poetry. He'll probably try to use your powers in some poem. With any luck, we'll never have to hear it."

Baekhyun laughed and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Have you spoken with Zitao since you got back?" he asked casually.

"No, but I was planning to. I want to take him to meet the Doctor. Suho said that he'd been nervous about his powers. Who better than a Time Lord to make him feel better?"

Baekhyun nodded. He looked like he wanted to say more, but they'd arrived at the Hephaestus cabin. Luckily, Chanyeol and Leo were both there. Nat told them that Phil was ready to start registering them, and that they were taking Exo-K first. "How come they have to get registered and we don't?" Leo asked.

"Because they're out in the world. Part of my negotiations made it so that the committee drawing up the Accords understood that you guys are under your own government to keep yourselves in check. Plus, you have the Mist to cover any mistakes. And you can thank the Cooperation for this. If we didn't exist, you guys probably would've been in big trouble already."

"Can't argue with that," Leo replied. He reached up and patted Chanyeol on the shoulder. "See you soon, buddy."

With the two boys in her wake, Nat headed up Half-Blood Hill to meet Suho and the others. Once she had everyone together, she led them a short way out from the border then called the Prometheus to transport all seven of them to the ship.

When they landed, Jongin stumbled and had to brace himself on Kyungsoo's shoulder for a moment. "You alright?" Nat asked, concerned.

"It feels really different from teleporting," he explained. "Foreign almost. I have no control over it, so I wasn't sure how to brace myself."

"You'll get used to it," Nat assured him. "At least until we learn what your range is."

Jongin nodded, shook his head to clear it of the remaining discomfort. "I'm ready." Nat signaled again and, with a flash, they were transported to SHIELD headquarters. This time, Kyungsoo was ready with a hand on his friend's arm in case Jongin needed it. Thankfully, the teleporter was a little more prepared this time and simply stood still for a moment to allow the disorientation to fade.

Phil was there to meet them with Mae, Fitz, Simmons, and Mack. "Welcome to SHIELD," Phil said with a smile.

Suho turned to Nat in surprise as the others exclaimed quietly as well. "He's speaking English. Everyone has been speaking Korean all this time except for that first meeting. What's going on?"

Nat facepalmed, frustrated that she'd forgotten to tell them about it. "Sorry, I forgot to let you know! We are still working on implementing the Universal Translators everywhere. Technology doesn't even work at Camp, but we were able to work with some of the Wizards as part of our arrangement and create a translation spell. There's a spell over the whole Camp Half-Blood area that allows anyone within the range of the spell to understand everyone else in whatever language is easiest for them. That's why it's so easy for you guys to stay there as opposed to anywhere else in America that we could've put you. We're still working on implementing translators everywhere else."

Suho nodded in understanding. "We'll make do until that happens," he said with a smile.

Nat smiled back. "Good. Now, I'm going to leave you guys in their capable hands. I want to see if I can introduce Zitao to the Doctor. It might help him with his confidence about his powers."

Suho nodded again and spoke quickly to the others, catching their attention when he said that Nat was leaving. Baekhyun wrapped his arms around her shoulders, whining in protest. "I thought she was going to stay with us! Wasn't that part of the bargain?"

Nat laughed lightly, gripping his arms in a grateful hug. "I have to help Zitao, Oppa," she told him gently. "You can trust these guys. You'll like them, I promise!" Baekhyun pouted, but released her from his grip. "I'll be back as soon as I have the word that you're done," she assured him. "And, if you need anything, you can call me. Just don't call unless you really do need me."

Baekhyun nodded and backed away to stand next to Chanyeol. FitzSimmons gestured for the boys to follow them, and led them into the base. "I see you've made your usual impression," Phil commented as soon as the group was out of earshot.

"It would seem so," Nat replied, smiling fondly in the direction the group had left in. "Anyway, I should go. Let me know when I can come pick them up." With a smile at Mack, and a wave at Mae, Nat signaled the Prometheus to bring her back.

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 **Please review!**


	3. Time With the Doctor

**Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoy this next chapter. It's not as long as I thought it was going to be, but I wanted to get it out as soon as possible. I realized that there is a lot more to the story than I had originally planned, so I suddenly doubt that I'll be getting it finished by Christmas. I promise, I will complete it, so, please keep reading!**

 **Enjoy!**

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Chapter Three

Time With the Doctor

Once she was back at Camp, Nat managed to track Zitao to the Athena cabin. Annabeth was talking animatedly and typing away on her laptop. Tony Stark had worked with them to create a few pieces of tech that worked at Camp and wouldn't alert monsters when used outside the borders. The Daughter of Athena had demanded a laptop of her own so she could work on her architectural passions while at Camp.

Zitao looked like he was ready for the conversation to end, so Nat approached with a smile. "Annabeth, mind if I steal him away for a bit? There's someone I want him to meet."

"Fine, but bring him back as soon as possible. I still have so much to do before we understand his powers."

With another smile, Nat tugged Zitao after her, stamping down a squeal when he took her hand. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"Suho mentioned that you were feeling less than confident about your powers," she explained. "I thought I could take you to meet someone who might be able to help." Zitao shot her a curious look, but continued to follow her as she led him a short distance outside camp.

Nat pulled out her phone and brought up the Doctor's number. After seven rings, a harried voice came through the speaker. "Hello!"

"You really need to patch the phone through the console!" Nat said with a laugh. She was glad she'd gotten Eleven. He was energetic and bouncy, just what Zitao needed to help him relax.

"You didn't call me just to say that, did you?"

"Of course, not! I need you to come for a visit."

"Why?"

"For one thing, it's Christmas! Thought you might want to attend the party this year."

"Is it that time already? Yes, of course, I'll come. Was there anything else?"

"Yes. I have a new friend who could use your expertise in Time." Nat glanced over at Zitao and winked.

"Ooooo! Sounds intriguing! I'll be right there, just give me your coordinates and date." Nat rattled off the information, then hung up. Within a few moments, she and Zitao heard the TARDIS's signature whooshing, groaning sound.

The blue Police Box materialized not far from them, and Nat waited patiently for the Doctor to open the door. After only a few moments, the door opened and the Doctor's floppy brown hair and bright smile greeted them. "Well? Come on in! Don't be shy!" He disappeared back inside, and Nat grinned over at Zitao.

"But, it's so small," he protested. "How-?"

Nat held her hand out to him. "Why don't you come find out?" Hesitantly, Zitao slipped his hand into hers. Ginning wider, Nat led him slowly inside the TARDIS.

The Doctor was leaning against the console, gazing down at them with an eager grin. As soon as she could, Nat turned to watch Zitao's face. Just like the Doctor, Nat always found it fun to watch the reactions of TARDIS newbies. Zitao was gazing around in awe at the huge space that was contained in the small area that they'd seen from the outside. "It's bigger on the inside!" he exclaimed.

The Doctor grinned even wider, as Nat laughed in delight. "Yes, it is!" The Doctor said as he hopped down the stairs to greet them. "You must be Zitao. Nat has told me all about you. I'm very pleased to meet you!" He shook Zitao's hand, then turned to give Nat a hug. "I haven't seen you since Akahten."

"How's Clara?" Nat asked, leaving Zitao to gaze and gawk while she got her timeline worked out with the Doctor.

"Good! Great! Just dropped her off when I got your call. I'll have to go get her for the party."

"Absolutely! Meanwhile, we need your help." Nat grabbed Zitao's hand again, bringing his attention back to the conversation.

"Of course, what can I do?" Nat explained about Zitao's powers, which immediately grabbed the Doctor's attention. "Come with me!" He turned and hurried further into the TARDIS. Nat grinned at Zitao, and tugged him along, eager to see what the Doctor had planned.

It turned out that the Doctor had a special room in the TARDIS specifically designed to contain Time experiments. His excited attitude helped Zitao relax, and the two began practicing and working with Zitao's powers, helping the Chinese boy relax and become more comfortable with his abilities than he'd ever been able to safely do before.

Nat watched for a while, happy to get to see two of her friends getting along so well. Only a beeping from her phone alerted her to how much time had passed in the outside world. She left the room to answer the call. "Nat, we need you to get over here, please. We need your help." Phil's voice was tense and concerned. Nat told him she'd be right there, then poked her head back in the room.

"Doctor, something's come up, I need to go. Will you take Zitao back to Camp when you're done?" With a dismissive wave, the Doctor remained focused on what he and Zitao were doing. Nat left quickly, hoping that she wouldn't have to do some major negotiating only two weeks before Christmas.

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 **Please review!**


	4. Princess Problems

**Happy New Year, everyone! Remember what I said about not getting the story finished by Christmas? Yeah...**

 **Anyway, here's a nice, long chapter to make up for the long delay. I got to go to Disney World for the first time last week! The drive down and back was great for getting some writing done, but I had no time to upload this chapter while I was away. So, here you are!**

 **I should probably explain a little something to those of you who actually know Exo. As you can tell, Kris, Luhan and Tao are still members of Exo in this story. That is because in this version of reality, they are all from a different universe, and they actually have powers. I figured this would make them more likely to do everything they could to stick together rather than leave the group and abandon the only people who understand them. I'll be addressing it a little in coming chapters, but it probably won't be a major plot point.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Chapter Four

Princess Problems

Nat had worried that Daisy, with her earthquake powers, would clash with Kyungsoo when they finally met. Thankfully, that was not the reason Phil had called her back to the base. The reason was the Ministry wizard who was squared off against Jongin and Baekhyun when Nat finally arrived.

"He apparated just outside the wards and then walked in, demanding to speak to you," Phil explained.

Nat tamped down her urge to go in and yell at everyone for their behavior. Instead, she reached for her negotiator's calm and entered the room with a determined stride that commanded attention. "Was there a problem with the communication system I set up at the Ministry?" she asked as she entered. She'd decided to address the Wizard first and save dealing with the Korean boys later.

"Miss Higgins! It's urgent that you accompany me to the Ministry at once!"

"She's not-," Nat cut off Baekhyun's protest before he could say anything more.

"Thank you, Oppa," she said calmly, slipping into Korean to soothe his temper. "I can take care of this myself." She turned to the Wizard again, raising an eyebrow at him. "I believe I asked you a question. Also, it is very rude not to introduce yourself."

"Lukas Karr," he said shortly. "The Ministry did try to contact you, but there was some interference. I was sent to contact you directly and bring you to the Ministry."

"What seems to be the problem?" Nat asked. She was peripherally aware of Jongin and Baekhyun taking up guard positions on either side of her. This seemed to intimidate Karr, and Nat decided to allow it since he'd ticked her off.

"There is a group that is protesting the Ministry joining your Cooperation. The Minister… requests that you come personally and speak with them."

Nat nodded. "Very well. Give me an hour to gather what I need. Inform the Minister that I will speak with the protesters." Karr looked like he was about to protest, but Nat raised an eyebrow at him and he shut his mouth. Instead, he nodded and left the room.

Nat relaxed with a sigh and turned to Jongin. "What were you two doing with him?"

Jongin opened his mouth to explain, but Baekhyun interrupted. "He came in here, demanding to see you. Said he had to take you somewhere. We weren't going to let that happen."

Nat closed her eyes, gathering her composure. When she was ready, she opened her eyes again and looked at Jongin. "Could you give us a moment?" He nodded and left the room. Nat turned toward Baekhyun, fixing him with a look that clearly expressed her mixed feelings about how he had acted.

"Oppa," she began softly. "I appreciate that you want to protect me. It's nice to know that you care so much. But this is my job. You can't protect me from everything. In fact, not everything is something I need to be protected from. Sometimes the people I work with just have their own way of expressing things. And everyone has their own customs that I have mostly figured out how to work with. I need you to understand that."

Baekhyun dropped his gaze from her eyes. He was pouting a bit. Clearly, he didn't like that he was being told to back off. Nat sighed and stepped toward him, reaching up to cup the side of his face. He was a few inches taller than her, so even looking down had him gazing in her vicinity. "Oppa, please look at me." He lifted his eyes from his pout and gazed at her directly.

"Thank you for caring so much. But I've managed this long. And you being over protective now is only going to make my job harder, not easier. Okay?" He nodded reluctantly, then pulled her into a hug.

"I don't want you to go, Natasha," he murmured quietly.

Nat laughed softly. "I'll be coming back, silly!" she assured him. "With any luck, I'll be done with this meeting before your tests are over. Then we'll go back to Camp and enjoy a few days before the others come for their tests."

Baekhyun nodded and finally released her. Nat smiled up at him and then stepped back, patting his shoulder briefly before dropping her hand. "You should get back to the others. I'll be back soon." Baekhyun smiled gently, "Just don't go alone. Promise you'll take someone with you. Something about that guy didn't seem right." Without giving her a chance to protest, he turned and went to find the rest of Exo-K.

"How do you do that?"

Nat turned to grin at Phil as he entered the room behind her. "No idea. Must be a gift though. Since I managed to do the same thing with almost everyone in the Cooperation."

"I certainly can't deny that you get results," he agreed with a smile. "But he did have a point, you shouldn't go alone."

Nat shot him a suspicious look. "And how did you know what we were saying? We were speaking Korean the whole time."

Phil shrugged. "I may have asked Fitz to develop a translation program on his tablet."

Nat shook her head at him. "We'll get the Universal Translators installed soon, and that was a private conversation."

"You still shouldn't go alone. Take Mack with you at least."

Nat shook her head. "Exo needs to build a relationship with the other groups in the Cooperation. I'll go back to Camp and see who wants to go with me. How's the testing going?"

"They're doing really well. D.O's powers are a bit like Daisy's, but with just enough differences that they aren't comparable in terms of power. All their powers are fascinating. They're genetic, but also something else. Simmons is still analyzing it."

"Well, just don't keep them longer than you really need to, okay? I'm getting the feeling that Baekhyun is getting a bit restless."

Phil nodded. "He and Sehun seem to be the ones who are chafing the most at the whole process."

"Baekhyun is one of the sweetest, but also one of the most childish of the group," Nat explained with a nod. "And Sehun is the Maknae, so it's understandable that he'd be a little more restless."

Phil frowned, "Maknae?"

"Sorry. He's the youngest of the group. He and Kai are close, but Sehun is a few months younger." Phil nodded in understanding. "I should get going," Nat said, reaching over to fiddle with her watch. "I don't have much time to figure out who's going with me, and I need to get changed." Phil nodded again and shifted out of her way.

Nat went to her apartment to change first. It was important that she maintain a certain level of professionalism when she dealt with the Wizarding communities. Her usual style was too unusual for them to handle, so she had to switch out for something a little more their style. She wore a golden-yellow, knee-length dress with long sleeves over black leggings. Her coat hung around her calves, fluttering just enough to give the impression of a cloak without standing out in the Muggle world. She chose low, black boots, and let her hair lay as it wished rather than holding it in place with hairspray.

Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she got herself transported back to Camp. She decided to start at the Zeus cabin, where Yifan was staying. As the leader of Exo-M, he'd be the best person to ask about taking a few of the members with her to London.

Nat poked her head into the Zeus cabin, calling Yifan's name. When there was no answer, she turned away, wondering where he could be. Just then, two shadows temporarily blocked the sun before coming to rest not far away. It was Jason and Yifan. Both were grinning at each other, their hair ruffled by the wind. Nat smiled at the relaxed, carefree look on Yifan's face. It was good to see him like this. Tensions had been high between him and SM lately, and Nat had been getting the feeling that the only thing keeping him from leaving was the fact that he couldn't abandon his friends.

Jason was the first to spot her, lifting his hand to wave as he led Yifan back to the cabin. "Nice to see you, Nat. You've been so all over the place I haven't gotten a chance to talk to you."

Nat smiled back at him, "Unfortunately, I can't stay. I wanted to talk to Yifan."

Jason nodded. "Can't thank you enough for bringing these guys to us. They're awesome!" He thumped Yifan on the shoulder before heading into the cabin.

"I'm glad to see you're making friends," Nat said as she approached Yifan.

"Jason's great," he replied, still smiling. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I have to go take care of something with one of the other groups in the Cooperation. There are some wizards who are causing problems, protesting the Wizarding community's involvement in the Cooperation. The Minister of Magic has asked that I come personally to speak to them. Since Phil and Baekhyun are insisting that I bring an escort, I was thinking I'd see if anyone from Exo-M wanted to come with me."

"How many would you like?" Kris asked.

"Probably just two. Any more, and the Wizards might take offence."

Yifan nodded thoughtfully. "I will join you. And I think Minsoek will want to come as well. He's the only one who doesn't really have anyone to compare powers with. I think he'd like a little time away."

Nat nodded in agreement. "Let's go find him then. We don't have much time left before we're supposed to meet them." The two of them said goodbye to Jason, who wished them luck, and then headed off to find Minsoek. They eventually tracked him down to the Hades cabin where he was talking with Nico. Nat was surprised, but impressed. Nico wasn't the most open of people, though Will had been helping with that lately, so it was nice to see that he was seeming to get along with Minsoek.

Nico was the first to spot them and waved to Nat. She smiled and waved back as Minsoek turned to look at them. He waved as well, then stood from where he'd been sitting on the grass in front of the cabin. "What are you doing here, Nat?" he asked curiously.

Nat explained about the problem with the Wizards. "Yifan suggested you might want to come. Phil and Baekhyun insist that I take an escort."

Minsoek laughed and nodded in agreement. "I'd love to come. I'll admit, I'm curious about them."

Nat smiled happily. "Great! Let's get going then. We're out of time." Quickly, she led them to the edge of Camp and called for transport. Within a few moments, they were materializing in the London street where the visitor's entrance to the Ministry of Magic was. The three of them crowded into the little phone booth and Nat dialed the number.

A cool, female voice could be heard from the receiver, "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your business, and the names of your party."

"Natasha Higgins, accompanied by Wu Yifan and Kim Minsoek to meet with the Minister," Nat stated clearly.

After a few moments, three badges popped out of a slot in the phone. "Please fasten the identification badges to the front of your clothing and be sure to check any weapons at the information desk," the voice said. "We hope you enjoy your visit to the Ministry of Magic." As Nat helped Yifan and Minsoek pin the badges to their shirts, the phone booth slid down to deposit them in the lobby.

"Why does yours look different than ours?" Minsoek asked, noticing that Nat's badge was a different color and had a special crest on it that he couldn't quite make out as it was partially hidden by her arm as she finished pinning Yifan's badge.

"I'm the coordinator for the Cooperation so I have special status with a lot of the more organized groups that are members. This badge lets me go almost anywhere and lets Wizards and Witches who don't necessarily recognize my face know that I have the right and authority to talk about certain things that I otherwise wouldn't."

Satisfied, she turned and began leading them down one of the corridors at a brisk pace. Wordlessly, Yifan and Minsoek took up position a little bit behind and on either side of her. They were all wearing long coats which fluttered just a bit with the motion of their brisk walking speed. There weren't many people in the corridors, but those that were there stepped respectfully out of their way, clearing a path in whatever direction Nat was heading.

They soon arrived at a conference room where raised voices could be heard through the door. Nat opened the door without knocking, and Yifan and Minsoek followed her inside without hesitation. At the head of the table one man, whom Minsoek assumed to be the Minister of Magic, was trying to calm the group facing him at the other end of the table. Nat's arrival finally managed to do what he had failed to accomplish. The group of people fell silent and turned their gazes to the three newcomers.

Minsoek had seen something of Nat's negotiator mode when she had come to meet Exo. But that was nothing compared to the air she now commanded. Her back was ramrod straight, hands clasped comfortably behind her back, a solemn, commanding look fixed firmly on her face. When she was sure she had everyone's attention, she finally spoke. "Minister, a pleasure to see you again, as always. Do you care to explain what the reason is that you called me here?"

Before the Minister could reply, one of the people in the group that had been shouting spoke up. "We are here to protest the Ministry agreeing to join your little Cooperation. We've managed just fine on our own for centuries. We don't need to be part of any Muggle organization."

Once they were aware of it, the members of Exo could tell when a translation spell was being used. Up until this point, Minsoek could tell that one was being used to allow him to hear the English that the Wizards were speaking as Korean. But when Nat turned to address the man who'd spoken, he could tell when the words she spoke were truly in Korean. The words flowed beautifully across his ears rather than being delivered in a slightly stilted manner. He had to fight to keep the shock off his face as she spoke, focusing instead on her words as she began explaining the benefits of the Cooperation and why it was important for the Wizarding communities to be part of it.

There was something about how she held herself and how she spoke that recalled stories from history classes. Stories of the princess, Shin Sung Ah, and how she was a brilliant negotiator who saved the king with the help of a friend from a foreign land. Come to think of it, the princess was said to be from a foreign land as well. She was made a princess after saving the king. A suspicion began growing in Minsoek's mind and he had to fight to keep the growing smile off his face.

He was helped in his goal by a voice rising above Nat's and bringing his attention back to the matter at hand. "We refuse to accept this. There is too much risk of being exposed."

Nat had just opened her mouth to reply when the oddest sensation spread over Minsoek's body. It was like being suddenly frozen solid, but it wasn't pleasant the way the frost he commanded felt. It was foreign and unpleasant. It also made his hearing become slightly muffled. As his frozen body fell to the ground, he heard Yifan shout before hearing a thud. A strange popping sound pierced the muffling effect on his hearing, and he was suddenly unable to see Nat anymore. After a few moments of tense silence, he found himself suddenly able to move again.

He stood quickly, calling Nat's name and shaking off the slight disorientation he felt as well as the offers of help from the Witch who'd clearly just removed some kind of spell from him. At the sound of Yifan's irate voice, he turned to see Exo-M's leader shouting at the Minister of Magic who was standing there, looking horrified. The group of protesters were nowhere to be seen. And neither was Natasha.

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 **Please review!**


	5. Heights

**And here's the next chapter! Sorry about the cliff hanger on the last chapter! Don't worry, you'll get answers in this chapter! I hope you all enjoy! And I hope you don't mind these longer chapters. There's lots of stuff I want to talk about, and that makes it difficult to break them into smaller chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Chapter Five

Heights

It was a well-known fact within the Cooperation that Nat was terrified of heights. She'd made it common knowledge when she was asked to meet with the Wookies on Kashyyk about the Cooperation. She was on edge during the entire meeting, and had to explain that her problem wasn't the Wookies, but their preference for building up in the trees where there was little between herself and a very long fall to the forest floor. As such, most groups knew to warn her whenever it was impossible to avoid a meeting in a place with similar architecture. Unfortunately, this group of protesting Wizards were also aware of her weakness and were using it against her.

Nat had been growing a bit frustrated with the little group of protestors. She'd been working very hard for this whole year to bring them into the cooperation. She'd become aware of their existence on a trip with the Doctor when she met a Time-Traveling Wizard who had enjoyed discussing the logistics of time travel with the Time Lord. Nat had ended up chatting with the Wizard's pretty, young companion; a blonde 18-year-old who introduced herself simply as Libra. As soon as they'd returned from their trip, Nat began the process of contacting the Wizards and convincing them to join the Cooperation.

It had been a long, difficult road. Along the way, she'd discovered that it was easier for her to formulate her thoughts and convey concepts by speaking in Korean and letting the translation spell make her understandable to those she spoke to. She thought she'd done a good job. Unfortunately, there was a group of old Pure-blooded Witches and Wizards who were having a very difficult time accepting her proposals. She'd planned to address their concerns after Christmas was over, but they'd pushed her hand.

Now, they'd taken matters into their own hands. She was stranded in the middle of nowhere having been divested of her phone and any other communication devices. Not only that, but the Wizard who'd dropped her on this cliff ledge had only stayed long enough to ensure that the ledge only had enough room for her to lie on her side and hug the cliff wall before apparating away. She was trying to remain calm, but there was an extremely long drop below her and there was no way to shift positions without falling to her death. Instead, she was forced to cling to the cliff face as best she could and wait for rescue. Considering she had no idea where she was, Nat doubted rescue was coming any time soon.

"WHERE IS SHE!?" Baekhyun was not a happy person at the moment. He and the rest of Exo-K had been almost finished with their testing, meaning they'd be able to return to Camp, when an urgent message had arrived for Agent Coleson. After demanding to know what the concerned look on his face meant, Coleson had reluctantly filled them in on Nat's abduction. Jongin had immediately teleported to London to meet up with Yifan and Minsoek while the rest of Exo were left to follow him with the transporters from the Prometheus.

As soon as they arrived, Baekhyun began demanding answers from Yifan and Minsoek. He was just as angry with them as he was with the people who'd taken his sister. He had expected them to take care of her. To keep something like this from happening. Now she was gone and he was being told that the people who took her were nowhere to be found.

Zitao arrived not long after they did. The Doctor's ship materializing with a strange wheezing sound and depositing him and his temporary passenger in the chamber. Baekhyun had expected some support from Zitao. He wasn't blind to the way his Chinese bandmate felt about Nat. But, rather than demanding answers like the Doctor was, Zitao was standing a little to one side of the room examining the empty air in front of him.

Finally fed up with watching, Baekhyun went over to him and demanded to know what he was doing. "I can see where she went." That immediately got everyone's attention. The Doctor hurried over and started waving his Sonic Screwdriver around and babbling, but Zitao's eyes finally focused on Yifan. "You're the only one who can find her. The only one who can follow the trail with any reliability." In a move that held only the slightest hint of hesitation, Zitao stepped around the Doctor and reached out to his friend. He pressed his fingers against Yifan's temples and closed his eyes in concentration. After a few moments, he stepped back and Yifan gazed at the area Zitao pointed to.

Yifan had heard Zitao describe the energy that surrounded Nat in rather poetic language. But he could see now that his fellow band member wasn't exaggerating. Golden wisps of energy hovered in the air in the spot where Nat had been standing before she was taken. Not only that, but he could see a faint trail streaking away through the wall. He was just about to ask Jongin to take him to the surface when he spotted the Doctor and gasped in awe. The Time Lord was glowing with the golden energy. Not only that, but the TARDIS seemed to be creating the energy. It was dazzling.

Yifan glanced at Zitao. He had some of the energy around him, though not at the same level as the Doctor. He wondered if it was a result of being in the TARDIS, or if it was a mark of dealing with Time. Yifan shook his head. He'd have time to speculate later. When Nat was safe. He turned to Jongin, "Get me to the surface. I'll follow the trail." Jongin obeyed without question, grabbing onto him before teleporting them both to the surface. Yifan nodded and immediately took off into the sky. Once there, he could see the golden trail leading off into the distance. At top speed, Yifan began following it.

Nat had been clinging to the cliff for several hours. She was still terrified she was going to fall, but she was also starting to lose hope. She had no idea where she was, she was cold and tired, and it was starting to get dark. There was no way anyone could find her. In her fear, she'd forgotten about the sensors on the Prometheus. She also hadn't remembered that the Cooperation could call on the Federation to send help with their more precise sensors. All she could think was that she was going to die out here.

Then, with a gentleness that made her think, at first, that she was dreaming, a pair of arms slid under her and scooped her off the ledge. She shifted carefully, turning so she could wrap her arms around her rescuer. The voice that spoke soothing words in Korean was deep and gentle. As her body relaxed, her mind drifted. She was only able to open her eyes once before she faded into unconsciousness. In that one glance, she managed to make out the sharp profile of Wu Yifan, his eyes gazing out over the space before him. Her mind faded to black as she relaxed further in his arms, allowing herself to know that she was safe. Nothing could hurt her as long as he was here.

Nat woke slowly, blinking at the bright light above her. The beeping of a heart monitor allowed her to orient herself, and she glanced to the side, curious where she'd been taken. She was startled away from those thoughts when she saw the figure slumped in the chair beside her bed. Zitao's blond head was supported by a bundled jacket on the back of the chair. A set of white headphone wires could be seen trailing across his shirt, and she wondered how loud she'd have to be to get his attention.

She was just about to call out to him when a sound from her other side distracted her. Zitao wasn't the only one who'd taken up vigil over her. Baekhyun and Yifan were both sitting in chairs on her right. Baekhyun was curled comfortably in his, head resting on his hand. Yifan was rubbing his eyes and blinking. The noise Nat had heard must've been his foot slipping off the chair. This was evidenced by the fact that only one of his legs was curled under him.

He glanced toward her, clearly expecting her to still be sleeping. He jerked upright, his hand reaching out to shake Baekhyun's arm. The stream of rapid and concerned-sounding Mandarin seemed to penetrate Zitao's headphones and through his sleep to jolt him awake as well. Before she knew it, Nat was surrounded by three of her new closest friends, all of them asking if she was alright, all in different languages. Zitao spoke in Mandarin, Yifan had switched to English, and Baekhyun was babbling in Korean.

After letting them talk over each other for a couple minutes, Nat laid her hand on Zitao and Yifan's arms to get their attention. When Baekhyun caught her look, he went quiet as well, resting his hand on her knee beneath the blanket so that he could be in contact with her as well. "I'm fine," she assured them. "I was just cold and worn out from fear. To be honest, I need to get over that. It's becoming a problem."

"We thought they might've hurt you," Baekhyun said, leaning forward around Yifan's shoulder to get a better view of her. "They didn't even make any demands. They just grabbed you and left."

"They didn't hurt me," Nat assured him. "He just dropped me on that ledge then broke off the extra he was standing on. There was only enough left for me to lie on, and barely that. That was enough."

"I'm so sorry I couldn't stop them," Yifan said, his face downcast. "They got Minsoek with a spell, and then me. I tried to get to you, but they were too fast."

"It's alright, Kris," Nat said gently, running her thumb over his knuckles where he'd grabbed her hand. "Speaking of whom, where is Minsoek?"

"Our manager called while you were out," Yifan explained. "He had to go take care of some stuff with our new Winter album. He didn't want to go, but they insisted."

Nat nodded. "How's he doing? Stunning spells can be really rough on non-magicals."

"He's alright," Yifan answered. "We both are. We weren't frozen for long."

"That's good." Nat was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "How did you find me?"

"You can thank Zitao for that one," Yifan said, nodding at the man across the bed. "He made it so I could see the energy that lingers around you. I've been meaning to ask you about that," he added, looking across at Zitao. "The Doctor was drenched in it, and the TARDIS seemed to be radiating it. Even you have some around you. Is it TARDIS related, or Time related?"

"It is Time," Zitao answered "The TARDIS looks like it is giving it off because the ship exists partially in Time. It was grown around a conduit in Time. It's a bit complicated."

Nat squeezed his hand gently. "Thank you, Zitao," she said, smiling up at him.

He smiled shyly and ducked his head. "We would've found you eventually. I'm just glad I was able to be there."

He was about to say something else, but was interrupted when the rest of the Exo members entered the room. Nat soon found herself buried under a veritable mountain of plushies and candy as everyone expressed their joy that she was back safe. Luhan and Yixing both perched themselves on the end of her bed and proceeded to tell her all about what happened at the Ministry after she'd been rescued.

The rogue group of Wizards hadn't gone far. They'd only been able to sabotage the anti-apparition wards long enough to get the one Wizard through who'd kidnapped her. The others had used the distraction to make a break for the Floos. They hadn't gotten far, and had been quickly arrested. The one who'd taken her had been found frozen in a block of ice at the entrance to the Ministry. Nat opened her mouth to ask it had been Minsoek, but Luhan answered her question before she could ask. "It wasn't Minsoek. He was with us the whole time. At least until he got called away."

A slow smile spread across Nat's face. "Jack, you old fox," she murmured. "Thanks for the backup."

"Who's Jack?" Sehun asked, leaning over Luhan's shoulder.

"Jack Frost is the Spirit of Winter and Guardian of Fun. He probably heard what happened and decided to take matters into his own hands."

It was only then that Nat noticed something was different. At first, she couldn't put her finger on it, but an unconscious motion to push up the glasses that weren't on her face made her realize it. "Yixing, stop that," she snapped. "I'm fine!"

Yixing pulled his hand away from her leg with a sheepish expression on his face. "At least let me finish your eyes. You'll never need glasses again."

Luhan reached across the bed and smacked his shoulder. "You should know better than to use your powers on small things that aren't a problem! You're going to burn yourself out."

"I'm almost done!" Yixing protested, rubbing his shoulder. "Besides, I'm fine!" he stood quickly and spun around once. "See, not dizzy at all." He sat down again, but Nat wasn't the only one to notice that he was blinking rapidly.

"Jongdae, would you get him something to eat, please?" Nat asked. Jongdae nodded once and left the room quickly.

A quick burst of warmth from a spot on her leg sent Nat blinking her suddenly clear vision. She leaned forward and smacked at Yixing. "Lay!" He had the grace to look apologetic again at the use of his stage name rather than his real name.

"I told you I was almost done."

"Don't move from that spot until Jongdae gets back with your food. Understand?"

"Yes, Noona."

The rest of the visit went by pleasantly and by the afternoon, Nat was discharged. The group escorted her back to her apartment. They ordered pizza and even managed to catch Minsoek at a good time in Korea to get him to come over for a bit to relax. After a few stammered words of apology, Natshut him up by pulling him into a hug. "There's nothing to forgive," she assured him. "I should've warned you guys about those spells. But that's beside the point. It's in the past now. Nothing we can do will change that."

They all settled down on the couches and chairs in the living room to watch a movie while they ate. It didn't take long for most of them to drift to sleep. Minsoek managed to sneak out from under Yixing about mid-way through the movie. Nat was already asleep, snuggled between Zitao and Yifan. Yifan had his arm around her, and Zitao was asleep on her shoulder.

Minsoek settled Yixing on the couch in his place. Yixing had passed out as soon as he'd finished eating. Healing always took a lot out of him, even multiple small things like he'd done like with Nat. "You look tired," Jongdae murmured. Minsoek turned, surprised. He hadn't noticed Jongdae getting up.

"I need to get back," he said, ignoring the comment.

"You need to rest," Jongdae insisted. "We still have our tests at SHIELD now that things have calmed down. Just stay the night. We'll go to SHIELD tomorrow, and then we'll all go back until the party for Christmas."

"I'm lucky my phone isn't blowing up as it is. They told me to get back as soon as I could. I need to go now."

"Take care of yourself, hyung."

 **Please review!**


	6. The Star

**Here we are again! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I certainly did! I promise, Christmas Day will come in the next chapter. Don't worry, we'll get there!**

 **Enjoy!**

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Chapter Six

The Star

When Nat woke the next morning, it was to find herself in a nest of arms and legs. She was lying half on Yifan, his arm around her shoulders. She could feel someone lying on her, and could see Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Luhan from where her head was trapped against Yifan's chest. She heard sound from the kitchen and shifted carefully when she smelled bacon and toast.

Zitao's head appeared over her shoulder and she grinned at his sleep-rumpled hair. "Good morning. I hope I made a good pillow."

He laughed and smacked sleepily at her shoulder, jolting Yifan awake as well. Kyungsoo came in from the kitchen holding a tray full of plates of food. He set it down on the coffee table and kicked the others on the floor awake. The room was soon filled with voices chattering away, mixed with the clinking of dishes and silverware as they devoured Kyungsoo's cooking.

"Where's Minsoek?" Nat asked once she was awake enough to notice there were only twelve people in the room.

"He left last night," Jongdae spoke up from his spot on the floor next to Suho. "I tried to get him to stay, but apparently, the Managers wanted him back as soon as possible."

Nat nodded with a sigh. "I hope he'll be okay for the tests today. Maybe I should ask Phil to wait a couple days."

"No," Yixing replied, shaking his head. "Better to get it over with. Delaying it will only compound the problem."

Nat sighed again, and Yifan patted her hair. "It's alright. We'll be fine. We should probably get moving though."

Nat stood and nodded firmly. "Right. You guys get this mess cleaned up while I go change. And someone'd better call Minsoek. Make sure he'll be alright for today."

By the time Nat finished getting dressed, the boys had cleaned up the breakfast dishes, straightened all the couch cushions and folded up the blankets that had gotten scattered around during the night.

"Minsoek will meet us there," Jongdae said as she entered the room. "He's being transported over now."

Nat nodded, "Good." She turned to the Exo-K members. "I'm going to be spending the day at SHIELD, so you guys will get transported to Camp once we've been transferred off the ship."

Baekhyun looked like he was about to protest, but a nudge from Suho kept him from voicing his objections. "We look forward to seeing you this evening, then," Suho replied, smiling.

Nat smiled back, then gestured for the Exo-M members to gather around her. She tapped her watch and called for transport.

Part of the reason Nat was spending the day at SHIELD, was because Phil refused to let her go anywhere without an escort for the time being. So, she settled down in one of the conference rooms and finished her Christmas shopping online.

The other reason was that Simmons had texted her that morning saying that she was close to having the results from some of the tests she'd run to learn how the Exo members had gotten their powers. After lunch, which Nat spent with the Exo-M members, she wandered down to the lab, looking for her friend.

Simmons was working on her computer when Nat entered, and had to be tapped on the shoulder for her attention to be gained. The scientist looked up and smiled when she saw Nat. "Natasha! How wonderful to see you! I am so glad you are alright after being kidnapped."

"Thanks. I was mostly just scared and cold. I didn't get hurt or anything. I was hoping you had some results from the tests you ran?"

"Actually, I do!" Simmons directed Nat's attention to the computer screen and began explaining what she'd learned. Basically, the Exo members gained their powers through genetics, but they had to be activated through an outside source much like the Inhumans. Once the eclipse happened in their original universe, the genetic components that gave them their powers activated. After that, the powers remained.

Nat explained her theory based on the music video they'd released. Years ago, an evil attempted to destroy their world. To protect the source of Life for their Universe, the Exo members' ancestors divided the Source in half, hiding each half and basically creating two sub-universes within the original. Then, they prepared in secret, waiting for the time to come when certain stars would align and bring the two Universes back into sync. Through training, and proximity to the Source, their DNA was changed to allow their descendants to reunite the split Universe and defeat the evil that had prompted the split in the first place.

Simmons conceded that they couldn't know for certain until they'd asked the members, but she also agreed that it might be best for them to wait until a later time to do so. They were tired, and likely wouldn't want to answer more probing questions after everything they'd already been through.

It wasn't long after her chat with Simmons that Nat collected the guys and returned them to Camp. All thirteen of them enjoyed an evening of camp activities and dinner before the boys were transported back to Korea for the rest of the week. They had a lot of work to catch up on, but they'd promised to come back for the Christmas party even if they had to sneak away and call for a quiet transport.

Nat spent the week relaxing in her apartment with her TV almost permanently tuned to the Hallmark Channel. Her two cats, a black female named Arwen and a tortoise-shell male named Daniel, were forced to endure their mistress dancing around their home singing songs and humming happily at the romantic couples in the movies. Both cats were from a planet in a distant galaxy that the Doctor had taken her to once. They had near-human intelligence, and were very strong and fast which made them excellent guards for someone who was almost constantly under threat from various organizations who wanted to see hers fall apart.

It wasn't until she was wrapping the last of her presents on Christmas Eve that she got a visitor. She muted the TV when FRIDAY alerted her to someone at the door. Daniel curled around her ankles as she went to see who it was. The camera view showed Zitao standing there. He looked tired, and she quickly opened the door to let him in.

"Zitao, what are you doing here? I didn't think you guys were coming until tomorrow."

"I called for transport early," he said as he stepped inside. He ran a hand over Arwen's back where she stood on the cat tree by the door. "I needed to talk to you."

"Have a seat," she invited, gesturing for him to sit on the couch. He did so, and absently began stroking Daniel when the cat jumped into his lap.

"Who do you like most?"

The words startled Nat and she didn't know what to say for a moment? "I don't understand. What do you mean by that?"

"Who is your favorite of the members?" His voice was soft and distant. He refused to look at her, instead studying the way Daniel's fur moved beneath his fingers.

"I- I don't think that's a very fair question. You're all my friends now. I know you so much better than when I first created my Bias List."

He nodded slowly and scratched Daniel under the chin causing the cat to purr. Arwen jumped lightly into Nat's lap, demanding some attention. "Do you like Kris?"

"Of course, I do. I like all of you in different ways."

"That's not what I mean," he said, his voice suddenly hard. His fingers clenched and Daniel scampered off his lap in protest. Zitao lifted his head, finally looking Nat directly in the eyes. Nat had always loved his eyes, they were deep and beautiful; wells of emotion that always expressed exactly what he was feeling. Now, they were burning and piercing deep into Nat's soul. Seeking out the deepest depths of her feelings to learn the truth. "Do you **_like_** him?"

"I… I don't know. I've tried not to think about it." Nat dropped her eyes from his, her fingers moving over Arwen's fur. Her reprieve didn't last long. She suddenly found her face cradled in Zitao's hands, his long fingers sliding into her hair and tilting her head up, forcing her to look at him again.

Before she could even blink, his lips were suddenly pressed against hers. She froze in shock. She'd been kissed before. It was a hazard of being friends with Jack Harkness. But this was something she'd dreamed of ever since she became a fan of Exo. She hadn't wanted to tell Zitao who her ultimate Bias was because he was it. Now, he was kissing her. She wanted to melt into it; to accept it and twine her fingers in his hair. Instead, she pushed him away, standing quickly and sending Arwen yowling to the floor.

"Sung Ah!" The sound of her Korean name made her stop with her back to him. She didn't know what was wrong with her. She should be dancing with joy. She should be melted in a puddle of fangirl feels on the couch. Instead, she felt angry. Why did it have to be Zitao of all the members to fall for her? Even Yifan would be easier, though just barely. She heard him moving behind her, then felt his warm hands on her shoulders. "Sung Ah. Please, talk to me."

"This can't happen, Zitao," she whispered. "Our lives are far to separate and complicated. We can't do this. And don't call me Sung Ah. It's not fair."

"Very well. Shall I call you Xing instead?"

His voice was low, almost teasing, and she finally turned to look at him, anger blazing behind the tears in her eyes. "That's not fair either! I know what that name means. You know that's one of my favorite songs."

"I look up at the starry sky. Feeling happy when I pick the brightest one," the line from one of her favorites of their Christmas songs took on new meaning as Zitao sang it quietly. "You are my bright Star. And I want everyone else to know it. Will you be my girlfriend?"

The anger faded from Nat's eyes as she looked up at him. His six-foot frame towered over her by more than half a foot, despite his efforts to appear smaller. "Why? Why would you pick me? You could have any woman in the world."

"I don't want any woman. I want you. You're kind and sweet and you care so much. You couldn't care less about my status as an idol. It might be a little hard, but you're worth it. We can text, video chat, call, we can even transport back and forth when my schedule allows."

"I could even move it I wanted," Nat added, allowing herself to hope for a moment. Maybe he was right. Maybe they could make this work. "I can work from anywhere in the world."

A smile spread across his face, hope lighting in his beautiful eyes. "Is that a yes?" he asked, his hand sliding up her shoulder to cup her head again, his long fingers sliding through her hair.

Nat slowly slid her eyes up his face, lingering on his lips briefly before finally gazing up into his eyes. She felt like she was going to drown in the emotion in his deep eyes. "I…"

"Xing," he whispered. "What do you say?"

 **Please review!**


	7. Christmas Day

**We've finally made it! Christmas has arrived... over a month late... sorry. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! The next chapter will be the last one, and then I'll be heading back over to my much more popular Power Rangers story! I hope to see you all over there once I start it back up again!**

 **Enjoy!**

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Chapter Seven

Christmas Day

Nat woke slowly on Christmas Morning. The tree lights were glinting against the still-dim window, and the TV was still tuned to the Hallmark Channel with the sound turned down. She blinked gently, shifting slightly under the blanket on the couch where she lay. A hand moved on her shoulder, and she looked up with a smile.

" _Zaoshang hao, Xing_ ," Zitao's gentle voice rumbled through his chest beneath her hand. "I hope I made a good pillow."

Nat laughed at the return of her own line to her. "Good morning to you, too. And yes, you made an excellent pillow." Zitao grinned and leaned forward to kiss her.

Nat had realized that she was just letting her fear control her. Something she knew was a problem she had. However, just as she had determined that she needed to get over her fear of heights, she also realized that she couldn't let her fear of complications keep her from the guy she liked. In the past weeks, she'd grown even more fond of him than she had been before, when she only knew him from the internet and his music. She'd grown to love him. And now, they were going to make this work.

Breaking away from the kiss she sat up and stretched, rubbing at her hair and laughing when she felt how mussed it was. Zitao wasn't much better as his long fingers combed the blonde strands out of his eyes. His eyes drifted over to the tree and he blinked in surprise. "Where did all those presents come from?"

Nat looked over and grinned. Several more brightly wrapped presents were nestled beneath the tree than had been there the night before. "North dropped them off! Not all of them will be from him. He likes to bring me any presents I get from people in the Cooperation."

"Who's North?"

"Oh, right, you haven't met him yet. Nicholas Saint North. Better known as Santa Clause!" Nat stood and headed toward the tree to inspect the presents while Zitao collected his thoughts.

"You're saying Santa Clause is real?"

"Of course! He's the Guardian of Wonder. The Easter Bunny is Guardian of Hope, the Tooth Fairy is Guardian of Memories, and Sandman is Guardian of Dreams. They're all Guardians of Childhood like Jack. You'll get to meet all of them at the party later. Jack is amazing at parties!" She returned to her present inspections, and then exclaimed happily and held up one wrapped in shiny, green paper. "Hey, look! North left you a present too!"

Zitao was still trying to wrap his mind around the facts he'd just been bombarded with, but he moved to sit next to Nat when she beckoned him over. She shifted so she was facing him and set the present in his lap, eager to watch him open it and see what North had left him. Having decided to push aside his confusion, Zitao slowly ripped the paper from the box, then lifted the lid. Inside, a jacket lay folded neatly.

Nat grinned. "Awesome! The Yetis make the best clothes! There'll be some cool surprises in it. I got most of my fancier clothes from North. You can wear them at any time of year and never get to warm or cold. They'll fold up really small for transport, and they always look amazing." She encouraged him to try it on, and he stood so he could do so. She was right, despite the warm room, the addition of the jacket didn't make him feel uncomfortable. It fit him perfectly, and it would work well with many of the costumes they wore onstage.

"It looks great!" Nat exclaimed happily. "Come on, let's see what else he left." They spent the next hour opening the presents that had been left under the tree. There weren't any more for Zitao, but he happily took pictures of her reactions to various gifts. Many of the presents were exotic artifacts from various universes and worlds. Some were articles of clothing or jewelry, and one was a box of brightly-colored, metallic hair dyes.

Nat deliberately left Zitao's present to her for last so she could give him hers at the same time. They propped the camera up so they could video the moment, and then Nat insisted that Zitao open his first. When he lifted the lid of the box, he grinned. Inside, was a leather bracelet set with a metal piece that was embossed with his power symbol. As he lifted it from the box, his fingers brushed over the hourglass and activated the holographic display hidden beneath. "It's a communicator, like mine," Nat explained, lifting her wrist for emphasis. "I got one for each of the members."

"It's beautiful," he said, smiling. He strapped it to his wrist and was pleased to find that it fit perfectly. "Thank you," he said, leaning forward and pulling her into a kiss.

Nat sucked in a happy breath, smiling as he pulled away from the kiss. "You're welcome."

Zitao laughed gently, then placed her present in her lap. "You're turn."

Nat blinked, forcing herself to concentrate. She eagerly pulled the silver paper off and lifted the lid off the box. Inside, was a velvet jewelry box, which she dumped into her hand and opened. She gasped. On a slender, silver chain hung a silver oval etched with characters in both Chinese and Korean. Two words. The Korean word she could read as 'Forever' 영원히. The Chinese word though, she didn't recognize. 一起

"What does it mean?" she asked, brushing her finger over the beautiful charm.

"Together Forever," Zitao murmured, watching her face as he translated the words. He gently took the box from her hand and extracted the necklace from its velvet bed. He moved behind her so he could clasp the necklace around her neck.

Once it was secure, Nat turned and kissed him soundly, her fingers sliding into his hair as she did so, eager to thank him for his beautiful gift. "I love it. Thank you."

Zitao grinned at her and kissed her once more. "You're welcome."

With all the presents opened, Nat focused on the next part of the day, the party. The two of them enjoyed a breakfast of cinnamon rolls and egg nog before she showed Zitao to the guest room so he could get freshened up. It had its own bathroom, and she showed him where the towels were before giving him some quick instructions on how to work the replicator set into the wall of the room. "It'll make you any clothing item that you want, so feel free to experiment a bit. I'll return anything you don't want later."

Assured that he would be fine, Nat left him alone and went to shower and change her own clothes. They reconvened in the living room and admired each other's outfit choices. Zitao had settled on a simple, white, collared shirt with a blue tie, and black slacks with his own shoes from the night before. Over it, he wore the jacket from North, which looked vaguely like leather, but felt like cloth and looked amazing.

Nat had tried out some of her new gifts, and was wearing an almost-knee-length skirt in layers of a kind of material that seemed to be floating on its own a bit. The top she wore with it was designed with a collar to accommodate the bow tie she wore, but otherwise flowed beautifully into the floaty material of the skirt without seeming stiff. She was wearing leggings underneath, and silver boots which went perfectly with the layers of blue and silver material of the skirt. The shirt and leggings were white, and the bow tie was blue with silver edges. Her own jacket was white and lined with blue fur that didn't look like it had been dyed that way, but was naturally occurring. Her hair had been dyed with silver and blue from her new box of metallic dyes, and her eyes were lined with frosty, white eyeliner.

Zitao stared for a full minute before Nat's giggling finally broke him from his trance. "You look spectacular!" he exclaimed, and she blushed, ducking her head cutely.

"You look rather sharp yourself," she complimented, reaching for his hand. "Shall we go?"

The party was spectacular, and all the Exo members were enjoying themselves. Minsoek finally got to meet Jack Frost, and the two were enjoying comparing powers. Yifan had stumbled on Hiccup, dragon trainer from the island of Berk, and was fascinated with the dragons that lived all around the islands the younger boy lived on. Yifan had had a dragon of his own, back in his universe and was eager for the chance to befriend one again.

There were so many people, that Zitao was surprised the area was big enough. Nat explained that the area had been chosen and marked out two years ago, and that they'd made sure to pick a place that was big enough and could be easily expanded if needed. So far, they hadn't needed to.

The Doctor showed up about half-way through the party, and Zitao found himself stolen from Nat's side as the excited Time Lord drew him into a conversation about Zitao's powers and the results of some of the scans the Doctor had taken.

Nat made her rounds, talking to as many people as she could before she made her way back to her new boyfriend just in time for the present exchange. There were so many people that, of course, not everyone would give gifts to everyone else. Many people simply brought gifts for the friends they had whom they didn't get to see often. Nat distributed the communication bracelets to the rest of the Exo members. They were thrilled, and excited that the bracelets were specific to each person. Baekhyun gave her a giant hug and practically commandeered her for almost the rest of the party.

Yifan watched her interact with Zitao and Baekhyun, a little sad. He had hoped to confess to her today. But he could see that Zitao had beaten him to it. He decided to push his feelings aside and focus on being to her what the other members were quickly becoming: her brother.

The remainder of the party went well. Everyone enjoyed themselves, and Baekhyun had to be pried off Nat when it was time for them to go. Most of the guests had already left, using various methods to return to their homes. As she usually did, Nat offered to remain and help clean up. This time, however, a couple wizards who'd attended used a few cleaning spells to easily whisk the mess into garbage cans, and straighten everything else up.

Yifan knew this would be his last chance for a while to speak to Nat. Even though he'd decided to not push anything, he needed her to know how he felt. While the rest of the members said good-bye to their Camp friends, Yifan pulled Nat off to the side.

"I'm really glad you said yes to Zitao," he said quietly. "You two deserve to be happy."

"Thank you. It almost didn't happen. I was scared. Our lives are so separate. You guys are always doing something with your schedules, and I'm all over the world all the time. Not to mention when I go to other Universes to keep relations strong. But he convinced me that we could make it work."

Yifan nodded slowly, then gripped her shoulders gently. "I need you to know. I- I really like you. And, I wish I'd gotten to you first. But I won't interfere. I just want you to know, so you don't wonder what's wrong if I do something strange."

Nat wasn't sure what to say, she nodded and gave him an understanding look. "I… I'm s-."

Yifan placed a finger on her lips, stopping her before she could finish. "Don't. You don't have to say anything." He pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll see you around, Nat." He turned and went to join the rest of the group as Zitao approached from where he'd been saying goodbye to Annabeth.

"What was that about?" he asked, watching as Yifan said goodbye to Jason.

"Nothing we need to worry about," Nat assured him, pressing against his side. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders without hesitation. "I'll text you later, okay?"

"Okay." He pulled her into a full hug, dropping a kiss on her hair before she pulled away for a proper one. Suho called to him, and Zitao reluctantly left Nat to join the group to be transported away.

Nat wrapped her arms around herself as she watched the group vanish in a flash of light. Clara came and stood beside her for a moment in silence. "Are you sure you can do this?"

"I have to," Nat replied, determined. "I can't live in fear. And losing him is far scarier than just not being able to see him very much." Little did Nat know that becoming involved with an international star was going to be far more complicated and difficult than she'd ever imagined.

 **Please review!**


	8. Underground Kings

**And here we are! Finally at the end. Just to let you know, this is the longest 'Christmas Special' I have ever written. It's twice as long as I'd expected it to be, and this last chapter is a doozie on its own!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this journey, and that you will take a look at my Power Rangers story, Mighty Morphin' Orange! I plan on doing a prequel to this at some point where I show how Nat got into all this. I also hope to write a sequel so that I can enjoy having more Nat/Zitao cuteness! In the meantime, enjoy this last chapter!**

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Chapter Eight

Underground Kings

New Year's came and went. Nat and Zitao were both busy and couldn't do anything but talk on the phone. Nat was starting to get a little concerned. SM was pushing the group hard. It was cool for the fans, but the members were looking tired. Zitao begged her not to make a fuss, insisting that they'd be alright. Nat agreed, but she kept an even closer eye on the situation as she returned to her own work.

It was almost a month later that everything fell apart. It was about the middle of the day for Nat, but a glance at the World Clock on her phone let her know that it was extremely early in the morning when Zitao's call came in.

"What are you doing up already?" she asked, concerned.

"Nat, have you heard from Kris?" Zitao's voice sounded worried, and Nat froze.

"No. Why? What's happened?"

"He's not in the dorms. He's not anywhere! We can't find him, and he's not responding on the communicators."

"With his powers, he could be anywhere," as she spoke, Nat hurried to her wall display and began pressing buttons. "How long has he been missing?"

"At least an hour."

Nat heard sounds from the other end of the phone, then Suho's worried voice. "The managers think he's run away."

Nat's display pinged, and she sighed in relief. "He hasn't taken his communicator off. I know where he is." Relieved exclamations erupted from the phone, and Nat got the impression that there were more than just Zitao and Suho on the other end.

"Where is he?!"

"Let me see if I can talk to him first, okay? If he left without talking to you guys, he might not like it if you suddenly showed up and demanded answers. I'll talk to him first and then call you back." Nat didn't wait for a confirmation before hanging up. "Wu Yifan, you'd better have a good explanation for this," she muttered under her breath as she keyed for transport.

Nico DiAngelo was waiting for her at the entrance to Camp when she arrived. "When did he get here?" she asked, not bothering to say hello.

"Last night," Nico replied calmly. "He begged us not to tell anyone. But he knew you'd come. He's with Chiron in the Big House."

Nat strode past him without another word. When she reached the house, she entered without knocking. She could hear low voices from the living room, and quickly followed them. Only when she saw Yifan sitting on the couch with Chiron folded into his wheelchair did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Yifan looked up, cringing a little when he saw her. He stood, his hands twisting nervously "Nat, I-."

Nat didn't give him a chance to say anything else. She strode across the room and yanked him into a hug. "Never do that again. Do you understand?" He nodded, leaning down to wrap his arms around her in return. After a few moments, she pulled back and gave him a soft look. Then she punched his shoulder. Hard. Protesting and rubbing his shoulder, Yifan sat back down, wincing. "That's for leaving without saying anything and making everyone worry! Did you really think they wouldn't look for you? That they wouldn't call me as soon as they knew you weren't there?"

"I didn't know what else to do. I can't work with SM any more. They push us so hard. If it weren't for Yixing's powers, I would've left sooner. They don't respect us, they don't give us the time we need to rest. You saw how they were with Minsoek when you were getting out of the hospital. They knew he was here to go through tests of his powers, but they made him jump back and forth to work with our Winter album. I can't take it anymore."

Nat sat down on the couch beside him as Chiron quietly wheeled out of the room. "Did you talk to the others? Ask them what they want to do? SM is being unfair to the whole group, not just you. There are other options besides vanishing in the night and trying to do all this on your own! They look up to you, Yifan. They need you. You all have stayed together this long because you're a family. You can't just abandon your family."

Yifan nodded, tears threatening to spill from his eyes as he looked into Nat's. "I need your help," he whispered. "I was hoping Chiron would be able to recommend a good lawyer but, maybe you know someone who'd be better than anyone he'd suggest?"

"It's true that some of the best lawyers are in New Rome, but there are a couple in New York who, I think, would be perfect for your situation. It'd be good for their firm, too, to have such a high-profile case." Nat reached over and squeezed Yifan's hand gently. "Go back, talk to the other members. Once you've all made a decision, let me know, I'll call my guys."

Nat didn't have to wait long for the call. Suho's voice was the one that came through the phone, asking that she get them in touch with the law firm she'd suggested. She gave him the number for Matt Murdock's firm and told him to call her if there were any problems. Once she'd hug up, she left camp and got transport to SHIELD headquarters. Phil would need to be made aware of Exo's change in circumstances, and she wanted to have him available for back up if needed.

It turned out to be a good thing she did, too, because SM pushed back hard. They accused her of convincing the group to leave, and released photos of her and Zitao together to make Exo-Ls angry. It worked. It was only thanks to the security system she already had in place that hordes of angry fans hadn't managed to break down her door.

The whole group felt terrible about what she was going through, and tried to ease things by releasing their own statements via Twitter and the News. They assured fans that the group was going to stay together, and begging fans to leave Nat alone as she was one of the people helping them get away from SM's abuse.

Nat couldn't help being a little angry at her fellow fans. The Exo-Ls should be angry at SM for everything the company had put Exo through. Instead, they were allowing the company to continue manipulating them and making it difficult for the boys to escape. Due to the intense scrutiny, Nat hadn't been able to visit any of the Exo members in weeks, lest they draw attention to the Cooperation and expose them before the world was ready.

She got daily updates via Matt, and kept up with the theories and speculation on the fan sites. One of her favorite things, was the support that Exo was getting from another group, BTS. The boys in that group had come out with several live streams where they wished Exo good luck, and urged their fans, ARMYs, to support Exo and not start fights with Exo-Ls like they were prone to do. As an ARMY herself, Nat appreciated the support from her second favorite group.

In all the drama, Nat didn't even remember about her birthday until the day before when her mom called to ask if she'd be coming over for her party. Nat agreed quickly, eager to do something to get her mind off the difficult situation, even if only for a few hours. "Make sure you invite your boyfriend, Punkin'!" her mom said casually before hanging up.

Nat had done her best to shield her family from the reality of what was going on with Exo. They knew she was dating a celebrity, but she hadn't told them who yet. Ideally, this would be the perfect time to introduce him to her family. Everyone would be trying to remain civil and polite so as not to ruin her birthday. Unfortunately, it was also terrible timing. SM was pushing hard to keep Exo, and that meant that Matt and Exo were having to fight back hard to keep things from sliding backwards. Getting Zitao to transport over was likely going to be impossible, but Nat also knew that, if she didn't at least ask, he would be very disappointed in her.

When the timing was right, she called Zitao, smiling when she heard his voice. He sounded tired, but happy. That seemed to be the general mood lately among the group. They were all glad they were finally putting the years of pain behind them.

Nat and Zitao chatted for a few minutes, before he brought up her birthday on his own. "I was thinking of seeing about transporting over tomorrow. We don't have anything major happening tomorrow, so I thought you might want to do something."

"Actually, my parents are throwing me a party," Nat told him quietly. "They invited you. I thought it would be the perfect time for them to meet you." There was silence from the other end of the phone for a moment. Nat bit her lip nervously. "If you don't want to, that's totally fine!" she assured him. "I don't want to push you into anything. We haven't been dating very long. If you don't think it's a good idea then-"

"Xing," his gentle voice stopped her babbling before it could get any worse. "I'd love to meet your family. I'm just surprised that _they'd_ want to meet _me_. After all, it's because of me that you're in the mess you're in now. I wouldn't blame them if they totally hated me for putting you through all this stress."

"Well… I haven't exactly told them who you are yet." More silence. "Are you mad? I know I said I'd tell them, but with everything going on, I just never got around to it, and now this is happening and-,"

"Jagia!" The Korean word stopped her more suddenly than his previous interruption. Zitao usually used Mandarin words exclusively when he talked to her. Hearing him use Korean really got her attention. "I'm not mad. We'll figure out what needs to happen when it happens. In the meantime, we'll transport over in about an hour, so make sure there's plenty of pizza available."

Nat laughed, her tension bleeding away slowly, then she stopped. "Wait… _we?_ Who's _we_?"

Zitao laughed. "You didn't think we'd let you celebrate your birthday on your own, did you? We have a few things to finish up, and then the whole group is transporting over. We have a great birthday surprise for you! I'll see you in an hour. Love you!" Before she could say anything else, Zitao hung up, and Nat was left holding the phone limply in her hand.

She turned to Daniel, who'd leapt up onto the couch and was purring as he rubbed his head against her arm. "The whole group is coming in an hour." She glanced around the living room. It was a little bit of a mess since she'd gotten a little lazy during her confinement. "The _whole group_ is coming in an _hour_." She glanced down at her outfit, lounge pants and a comfy sweatshirt. "THE WHOLE GROUP IS COMING IN AN HOUR?!" She stood quickly, tossing her phone onto the couch. "Friday, put on some music. I have an hour to get this place cleaned up and get myself presentable. Make it peppy and make sure that, when I'm getting dressed, I feel like I'm in a movie!"

Fifty-nine minutes later, Nat stood in the tidy living room wearing a light blue top, bright blue skirt, dark blue leggings, and black flats. Her hair was dyed with streaks of metallic blue, and jet black earrings glinted in the light. She grinned as, in a flash of white light, all twelve members of Exo appeared in the space she'd cleared for them.

Zitao barely had time to set down the colorfully wrapped box in his hands before his arms were full of squealing girlfriend. He buried his nose in her neck, breathing in the floral scent of her body wash and shampoo. After several stressful weeks apart, it felt amazing to finally be able to hold her again.

The moment was interrupted by Baekhyun who tapped on his shoulder impatiently. "You aren't the only one who hasn't gotten to see her!"

Nat broke out of the hug with a laugh, sliding out of Zitao's arms to wrap hers happily around Baekhyun's neck. "I've missed you, Oppa!" She made the rounds of the other members, giving Minsoek an extra-long hug and wishing him a late birthday. His had been four days before, but she hadn't gotten a chance to do anything other than text him.

Nat's birthday presents consisted of every single movie or drama that any of the members had ever been in, including advance copies of xXx: Return of Xander Cage and The Great Wall which had come out in January and February respectively. She also got several articles of Exo merch, and even a few plushies that she promptly insisted on taking pictures with along with whichever member gave it to her.

After about half an hour of chatting and enjoying each other's company, the replicators were raided for pizza and drinks and they all settled down to marathon her new DVDs. By midnight, they had all fallen asleep, sprawled on the couches and floor

When Nat woke the next morning, she almost had déjà vu from the night everyone had stayed over before their last day of testing. She was lying on someone's chest, could feel several other forms lying on her, could see Luhan and Jongdae on the floor, and could smell something amazing cooking in the kitchen.

She pushed herself up a bit and looked up, smiling when she saw that she had ended up sleeping on Zitao. Her movement woke him and Yifan, who'd fallen asleep between her and the back of the couch. Somehow, Baekhyun had ended up on top of the two of them, but he was quickly woken when Yifan shoved him onto the floor, also waking Minsoek who got landed on.

The thuds brought Kyungsoo in from the kitchen carrying a plate piled with fluffy pancakes. The scent woke the remaining members who hadn't been startled by the noise. Breakfast was eaten after a rousing chorus of 'Happy Birthday' in three languages. Afterward, Nat let Zitao show them the guest rooms and let them get cleaned up while she did the same in her own room.

When she emerged, it was to find that the living room had been crammed with more people! Seven more boys, still wearing face masks and hats, had just crowded into the already packed space. "What is going on?" she asked, crossing her arms and tapping her foot on the floor.

The tallest of the new arrivals pulled off his mask and hat and grinned at her. "We heard you were a fan. Thought you might like a special birthday present." It was Kim Namjoon, the leader of BTS! The other six pulled off their masks and hats to reveal all the members of BTS.

Nat could hardly believe her eyes! She covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes going wide as she stared at her second favorite K-pop group of all time. Her eyes flitted to Zitao, begging him silently to help her. With a grin, he came forward and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "If you'll give us a moment, she needs to reboot." Everyone laughed as Zitao led his frozen girlfriend into her bedroom and shut the door.

He sat her on the bed and then crouched in front of her so he could look up into her face. Gently, he pulled her hands away from her mouth which was open in astonishment. "H-how?" she stammered. "Why?!"

"We wanted to tell you all together," he began, smiling. "But I think it might be better if I just say it now so you can process."

"Tell me what?"

"BigHit has offered us a contract. They'll let us stay together and let us relax when we need to. Let us heal. Let us do what we want when it comes to our powers."

Nat stared at him, her face going blank for a full thirty seconds. "That's fantastic!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him and laughing joyfully. "How long have you been sitting on this?"

"Only a few weeks. We wanted to get things settled before we told you. Figured you'd like finding out for your birthday."

Nat pulled back from him so she could gaze into his face, leaving her arms around his neck. "This is the best present ever. I'm so happy for you guys!" With a grin, Zitao leaned forward and pulled her into a kiss.

When they broke apart again, he asked, "Ready to go out there?"

Nat laughed. "Yeah! I'd better call my parents and let them know there'll be a few extra people though!"

Nat's birthday party was fantastic. She spent most of her time getting to know the members of BTS, and thanking them for being so supportive of Exo during this time. Jungkook and Jimin, her two favorites, made it a little hard for her to maintain her calm exterior so Exo ran interference so she could calm back down occasionally.

Her parents loved Zitao, and all the other Exo and BTS members as well. Her parents weren't exactly in the loop on what Nat did for her job, but that didn't stop them from being proud of her.

Nat's younger brother, Brian, connected quickly with Baekhyun, earning the older boy's respect when he snapped at Taehyung for staring at Nat for too long.

The evening culminated with a large cake and more presents which Nat had plenty of help with carrying back to her apartment. The BTS boys had another day they could stay in the States, so everyone crowded back into Nat's apartment for a night of movies.

When they woke the next morning, all piled on top of each other, Nat took them to Camp Half Blood where the Exo members introduced their camp friends to BTS. Nat ended up spending the day hanging out with each BTS member in turn since Annabeth wanted to finish her tests on Zitao and had kicked his girlfriend out after only thirty minutes of trying to get him to concentrate.

Around the campfire that night, all nineteen boys blew the camp away as they sang song after song. Everyone kept demanding encores, especially Apollo and his cabin. They ended the night with a song that Zitao and Yifan had written together. It was a rap that they planned to release when things got completely wrapped up with SM. Its lyrics were written to remind SM what they'd lost when they didn't treat Exo right.

When it was over, a roar of applause echoed through the woods, reaching for the stars and beyond. Nat pulled Zitao into a kiss before they were swamped by hugs from all their friends. No matter what the following months would bring, they would face this together. Natasha Higgins and her Underground Kings would become an unstoppable force against the world; never to be broken apart.


End file.
